Improvement in corn-planters



J. Y. D. MURPHY.

Corn-Planter.

Patented Mar. 8. .1864.

'Inve fito r, Y Wm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. Y. D. MURPHY, OF HALF MOON,;PENNSYLVANLX.

I M PROVEM-E'NT IN CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 41,854, dated March 8, 1864 To all whom it may concern:

Half Moon, in the county ot'Gentre and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and .-usei'ul Improvements in Corn-Planting Machines {and I do hereby declare the followingtoiie a full,-clear, andexact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification,"inwliich- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the corn-planter. Fig.2 represents afrout elevationthereof. Fig. 3 represents a top'plan, and

FigsA and 5 represent on an enlarged scaledetached portions ofthe' machine notdistinctly seen in the other figures.

My invention relates more especially to the Y I construction and arrangement of certaiuflevices for taking the corn in measured quantities from the hopper, and conveying it thus measured to and dropping it into the furrows and covering them with the soil or earth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to 'describe the same in connection with the drawings.

A represents a frame, which is supported mainly by-the side. plates, B B B B, and partially by the tongue 0, which guides it and causes it to follow the team. A is mounted the hoppers D D for containing the corn or other grains or seeds that are to be plantcd, as also the rock-shaft E, whichopcrates the seed-slides through certain mechanism that will be hereinafter more fully -d ek, Fig. 2, against which said levers areflforced scribed. To this frame A are also attached certain points or 'colters F in advance of the seed-dropping devices, for the purpose of pul- -verizing the soil and opening it up for the re.-

moves forward; turn with their axle I, but.

which when the {machine is hacked or turns short around,f'are loose vupon the-axle, or may move independently of it by means of a-ratch et-and-pawl arrangement at b I).

I On the axle I, and at its central portion, there;

is arranged a cam-wheel, J, having two beats or throws, 1 2, made upon its outer perimeter,

Upon this frame I v and -to.thepillar-blocks K K there is pivoted, Be it known that I, J. Y. D. MURPHY, of-= by "means of the hinged arms a c, a connectingbar L, the rear end of which carries a frictionroll, d, that works against the face ot'the camoted to a short .artnon the rock-shaft E, so that the forward motion of the bar L rocks the shaft in one direction while the spring 6 returns or rocks-itin theopposite direction. The

upon theysecondary t'rarne'G. 7

At each end of the rock-shaft E there is an arm, N, furnished with adjusting-holes 3 4 5, 850.; and pivoted at or nearthe rear ofthe hoppers D there is a leveno, also furnished with adjustingholes', and thissarm and lever are connected by a' -rod, f,',which.rnay be so arranged in "any of the adjusting-holes as to. give the necessary extent of vibration to the levers O to proper-lyivork the lower seed-slides.

' In the bottomsof the hoppers there are openings, through which the seeds pass at certain to pass by means of the arms g on the rockshaft, to which said slides are connectedby links it. v

i is a cap or shield in. the bottom of the hopper, under whichlone' blade of the seed-slide works, the other b-lade'thereof moving underthrough the bottom of the hopper maybeem which slide in and out for that purpose.

Behind the levers 0 there are upright springs when vibrated backward, so as to.,compress said springs. Their ohject'and purpose is to movement-to aid them in returning quickly,

the completion" ot the return movement b i g,

made by the spring 0. a

which might be appropriately called shoes or plowsf)- and upon ways or ledges Lmade thereon .for-thepurpose, Ithfe seeding mechanismtshown more distinctly, in Figs. 4, 5) moves 'and is operated. This mechanism is construeted as follower v m is a plate, upon the uppe'r'eu'd 'ot'g'whichis; arranged a hopper, Pfinto which the grain wheel J, and the forward end ofwhich is pivdriver or-operators seat M is also arranged intervals, and over these holes seed-slides (shown in red lines in Figs. 1, 2, 3) are caused neath'the bottom of the hopper. Thejopening' larged or contracted by means of the blocksj,

give thevslides an: impulse at the first of their- Between each of the ,pair of plates B, (anddrops from the main hopper whenp his second hopper isunderneath the primary one and the seed-holes properly opened for that purpose.

Underneath this top plate, 'm, there is a seedpassage, ii, extending down to or near to its point or lower end. This seed-passage,'or,'

rather, the exit from it, is controlled by two pivoted armsipr levers, o 0, hinged atip, and havingbelhcrank pieces qq connected to them,

to which the rods 1' r are connected, said rods or yoke at their other ends being connected by a wrist-pin, .s, to the lower end of thellever 0. The slides are operated by means of this yoke or rods 1' r, and when the slide-moves down toward the lower endsot' the plates or shoesB,

t as shown in red lines in Figs. 4 and 5, the exit are separated and uncover the exit-openingand allow the seed to drop into the furrow,and the soil that.- has accumulated o l-the plate on .drops and covers the grain;

u u are small clearing-pins at the lower end of the plate in. for the purpose of pushing down any small roots or grass, which might otherwise impede the ties motion of said plate and its accompanying 'mechauism.

In my patent of the 22d'of January, 1861, I used a horizontal cutter and barrier in front of the side plates. In my present improvement I dispense with these devices entirely and leave the space between the plates free and unincumbered, and allowthe sliding plate m to move clear up to the front of the side plates.

The advantage of placing the carrying and driving wheels Hon an independent frame that is hinged to the main frame is that the seedingmechanism is not aflected by the rising and falling of the wheels as they pass over the inequalities of the ground, and by hinging or piv-' oting the bar L to the rock-shaft on the main frame the'two frames may have motions independent of each other without throwing out or crampingthedriving-connection between them.

The advantage of the three springs c k k forbut when the spring 6 isjust strong enough to carry up the plates, and the upright springs k gives the impulse at the start,'thc plates start quickly and require but little power, from the fact that the upright springs are not brought into action until the plates are almost down, at which time the grade or throw on the camwheel J is much the lightest, and of course can exert more power with less tendency ot' the drive-wheels to slip.

Having thus fully described myinveution,

what I claim is- 1. In combination with the side plates, B,-

or passage, n, and the bell-crank levers or arms 0 for opening and closing the same, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described,

' 2. In combination with the slidingplates and their grain ducts or passages, the hoppers P,

attached thereto and operating in connection with the seed'hoppers D, substantially as described. t

3. The combination of the threesprings e 70 k with the cam and with the plates mm, for the purpose of more readily raising up the plates without requiring so much resistance as one spring alone would require from the drivewheels to compress it, as hereinabove described and represented. I

' J. Y. n. MURPHY. Witnesses: I g

JOHN H. LEVER, I). H. BURKE/I. 

